WARMWATER GAME FISH
Bass Identification Chart
SIZE AND CREEL REGULATIONS
Species
Crappie*
Largemouth bass*
Smallmouth and
Spotted Bass*
Striped Bass and
Bodie Bass*
White bass
Walleye*
Muskellunge and
Tiger musky
Sauger
Kokanee salmon
Spotted sea trout
Flounder
Red drum
Minimum Size Limit
Daily Creel Limit
None
None
14 inches, except 2 fish
5
in the creel may be less
than 14 inches
12 inches, except 2 fish
5
in the creel may be less
than 12 inches
18 inches
3
None
None
30 inches
8
7
10
None
1
Deep notch between fins
Horizontal band
No scales at base of fin
No scales at base
of fin
LARGEMOUTH BASS...Found Statewide
10
None
* Exceptions:
Sunfish
• In the entire Lumber River from the Camp MacKall bridge (SR
1225 at the point where Richmond, Moore, Scotland and Hoke
cos. join) to the South Carolina state line and in all public fishing
waters east of I-95, except Tar River Reservoir (Nash Co.), the
daily creel limit for sunfish is 30 fish in aggregate, no more than 12
of which may be redbreast sunfish.
Crappie (black and white)
• In the following waters the minimum size limit is 8 inches and the
daily creel limit is 20 fish:
- High Rock Lake
- Lake Tillery,
- Falls Lake (Stanly and Montgomery cos.), - Badin Lake
- Tuckertown Reservoir
- Lake Hyco
- Lake Ramseur
- Cane Creek Lake
- The following waters and all their tributaries: Roanoke Sound,
Croatan Sound, Currituck Sound, Albemarle Sound, Alligator
River, Scuppernong River, Chowan River, Cashie River, Roanoke
River downstream of U.S. 258 bridge, Lake Mattamuskeet, Lake
Phelps, Pungo Lake, Alligator Lake and New Lake.
• In and west of Madison, Buncombe and Rutherford counties and
in Lake James,the daily creel limit is 20 fish.
Black Bass (largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass)**
• Only 5 black bass in aggregate may be retained in the daily creel.
• In Calderwood Reservoir there is no minimum size limit on black
bass (reciprocal agreement with Tennessee).
• The minimum size limit for bass is 14 inches, with no exception in
the following waters:
- Lake Luke Marion (Moore County)
- Reedy Creek Park Lakes (Mecklenburg County)
- High Rock Lake downstream of I-85
- Tuckertown Reservoir
- Badin Lake
- Falls Lake (Stanly and Montgomery cos.)
- Lake Tillery
- Lake Rim (Cumberland Co.)
- New River and its tributaries (Onslow Co.)
- Blewett Falls Lake.
- The following waters and all their tributaries: Roanoke Sound,
Croatan Sound, Currituck Sound, Albemarle Sound, Alligator
River, Scuppernong River, Chowan River, Cashie River, Roanoke
River downstream of U.S. 258 bridge, Lake Mattamuskeet, Pungo
Lake, Alligator Lake and New Lake.
• In and west of Madison, Buncombe, Henderson and Polk counties, and in all designated public mountain trout waters, the minimum size limit for black bass is 12 inches, except two bass less
than 12 inches in length may be retained in the daily creel.
• In Lake Thom-A-Lex (Davidson Co.), Cane Creek Lake (Union
16
Upper jaw extends
beyond eye
25
8
2
15 inches
None
12 inches
13 inches
18 inches
(maximum size 27 inches)
None
American and
Hickory shad*
All Other Warmwater None
Game Fishes*
Longest spine over twice
as long as shortest spine
One patch of
teeth on tongue
Longest spine less than twice
the length of shortest spine
Shallow notch between fins
Upper jaw extends
to back of eye
Horizontal band
Scales at base of fin
Horizontal streaks
Scales at base of fin
SPOTTED BASS...Found in the Mountains,
Foothills, and Little River in Harnett County
Longest spine less than twice
the length of shortest spine
Shallow notch between fins
Upper jaw doesn’t
extend beyond back
of eye
Vertical bars
Scales at base of fin
Scales at base of fin
SMALLMOUTH BASS...Found in the Mountains,
and Foothills
NOTE: For the convenience of the reader, major regulation changes appear in RED where possible.
Morone Identification Chart
White Bass
Stripes often faint
One patch of
teeth on tongue
Striped Bass
Stripes distinct and usually continuous
Two patches of
teeth on tongue
Bodie Bass
(striped bass hybrid)
Stripes distinct and usually broken
Two patches of
teeth on tongue
Co.) and Sutton Lake (New Hanover Co.), the minimum size limit
for bass is 18 inches.
• In B. Everett Jordan Reservoir, Falls of the Neuse Reservoir east
of SR 1004 and Kernersville Lake, the minimum size limit for black
bass is 16 inches.
• In W. Kerr Scott Reservoir there is no minimum size limit for spotted bass.
• In Lake Lure the minimum size limit for largemouth bass is 16
inches and the minimum size limit for smallmouth bass is 14 inches, with no exceptions.
• In Lake Phelps the minimum size limit for black bass is 14 inches
and no fish between 16 and 20 inches may be possessed.
• In Shearon Harris Reservoir no black bass between 16 and 20
inches may be possessed.
• Small city/county owned lakes under management contract with
the Commission may have different black bass regulations which
are posted at the lakes.
** See identification chart.
Shad
• Daily creel limit applies to American and hickory shad in aggregate.
Striped Bass and Bodie Bass**
• Daily creel limit applies to striped bass and Bodie bass in aggregate.
• In Dan River between Bannister River and the Brantly Steam Plant
Dam, and in John H. Kerr, Gaston and Roanoke Rapids reservoirs, and Lake Norman, the daily creel limit on striped bass and
Bodie bass is 4 in the aggregate and the minimum size limit is 20
inches.
• In all impounded waters and their tributaries, except those waters
listed above, the daily creel limit on striped bass and Bodie bass
is 8 in the aggregate and 2 fish less than 16 inches may be
retained in the daily creel.
• In the following waters the minimum size limit on striped bass and
Bodie bass is 18 inches, the daily creel limit is 3 fish and from April
1 through May 31, no fish between 22 and 27 inches may be
retained:
- Tar-Pamlico River and tributaries upstream of the Grimesland
bridge (SR 1565 Pitt Co.)
- Neuse River and tributaries upstream of the NC 55 bridge in
Lenoir Co.
• The minimum size limit for striped bass and Bodie bass is 18 inches
and the daily creel limit is 3 fish in the following waters:
• Pee Dee River below Blewett Falls Dam
• Inland waters of the Cape Fear River below Buck Horn Dam
• Inland waters of the Pungo River
• Lake Mattamuskeet.
• In the inland and joint fishing waters of the Roanoke River Striped
Bass Management Area, which includes the Roanoke, Cashie,
Middle and Eastmost rivers and their tributaries, the seasons, minimum size and daily creel limits for striped bass and their hybrids
are as follows:
- The season extends from March 1 through April 15 in that portion of the management area from the U.S. 258 bridge at Scotland
Neck downstream to the mouth of Albemarle Sound and March 15
through April 30 in that portion of the management area from the
Roanoke Rapids dam downstream to the U.S. 258 bridge at
Scotland Neck.
- The minimum size limit for striped bass and Bodie bass is 18
inches. No fish between 22 and 27 inches may be retained in the
daily creel and only 1 fish larger than 27 inches may be included
in the daily limit.
- The daily creel limit for striped bass and Bodies Bass is 2 fish in
aggregate.
• In the inland waters of the Albemarle Sound Striped Bass
Management Area, which includes Roanoke Sound, Croatan
Sound, Albemarle Sound, Currituck Sound, Chowan River,
Alligator River, Scuppernong River and their tributaries (excluding
the Roanoke River and its tributaries) striped bass fishing season,seasons, size limits and creel limits shall be the same as
those established by the Marine Fisheries Commission for striped
bass in adjacent joint or coastal fishing waters.
** See identification chart.
Walleye
• The minimum size limit on walleye in Lake James and its tributaries is 15 inches and in Linville River upstream from NC 126 bridge
the daily creel limit is 4 fish.
NOTE: For the convenience of the reader, major regulation changes appear in RED where possible.
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